New Rally-X

It's a pixel-perfect port, but New Rally-X pre-dates even the NES by several years. Justin investigates how well it holds up to today's standards...

I'm fairly confident that the amount of enjoyment someone would get out of New Rally-X on their cellphone is directly proportional to how much (if any) exposure they had to the classic when it was released in arcades in the very early 80s, and I'm not even entirely sure it did hit American arcades. The fact is even the mobile platform's numerous NES ports make the game look clunky by comparison, and for good reason-- New Rally-X actually pre-dates the NES.

The game tasks players with picking up ten yellow flags strewn randomly around a maze-like level, while avoiding the persuing red vehicles. As you progress through the levels/mazes, these red menaces increase in number and quickness, and I'm fairly sure they got a little smarter as well, working together more often to box me in. Luckily there is a smoke screen at your disposal, which temporarily takes the heat off by forcing them to find an alternative route to you.

The game controls flawlessly with one hand, thanks to your car's steering and its smokescreen being your only input options. Your car is actually highly responsive, and it's possible (indeed, necessary) to turn on a dime and otherwise take quick evasive action to avoid the ever-present red threat.

I don't want to imply that there's no fun to be had with New Rally-X. Tooling around the mazes, collecting flags, and pulling off especially close escapes is enjoyable enough. The big problem is that this cat-and-mouse formula has been done a lot better. In Namco's own Pac-Man, no less. New Rally-X is far from a waste of bandwidth, even today, but there are certainly available classics out there more worthy of a download.